Volume of implants

Selecting the perfect size implant for an augmentation is extremely challenging.

300-325 cc should bring you to a C cup from a B cup. A 350 cc implant should work very nicely for you.

It is true that the implant tends to look a little smaller under the muscle. This is because the muscle flattens it a little bit. It's not that the volume is going anywhere, it's just that the implant is covered a little more. The difference is minimal.

The important thing to remember is not to focus on any one number. What matters is what your breasts look like after. As long as you're within the range you described (300-350), you should look good.

The difference between 325 and 350cc. is less than10%. However, in general, size of implant is determined less by cc's and more by dimensions. Patients have a hard time understanding this and often get fixated on the cc's. The volume is the result of dimensional analysis, not vice versa. In fact, the volume tells nothing about the implants since a 350cc implant can have different dimensions (i.e. base diameter and projection) and thus produce different-looking breasts. The best way to choose size is to look at the base diameter of the natural breast and see what implants will give you the most natural look. This is usually the flattest or least projecting implant with the base width about the same as the breast so that the implant will be predominantly covered by the natural breast. You and your surgeon can then determine if this will give you the look you want (i.e. shape, cleavage, width, etc.). To up size, you can increase width or increase projection, or both, until you get outside your target look. There will usually be a few implants that will give you close to what you desire. I then ask a patient if she would be more unhappy being too large or being too small and vary my implant choice depending on her answer.

I have found that, in general, patients who are a little too small, wished they could go bigger but are less unhappy than women who are too big. The former still look good and more natural and can upsize with specific bras while the latter canot hide their excess size. Usually, in the long run, the smaller the implant, the less complications and side effects but speak frankly and specifically with your surgeon.

Going under the muscle does blunt the effects of the implants compared to on top of the muscle for the same implant but it is the relative, not absolute, size and dimensions of the implant that will determine how that implant will act differently in the two different locations.

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Many variables affect the final outcome of breast augmentation, but the one that most patients seem fixated on is the "cc's" or implant volume.  Patients often compare notes with their friends or family members who have also had breast augmentation, and may feel "slighted" if they receive implants that are smaller than what was placed in their co-worker or cousin.  This is like being disappointed after a really wonderful dinner that you didn't eat as much, or the same thing, as the couple at the next table.

The ART of breast augmentation involves properly analyzing the existing anatomy of the breast(s) and determining the proper combination of surgical technique and implant characteristics (dimension and volume) needed to produce an attractive breast. Every patient is different, and every breast is different, so it would be simplistic to believe that the only thing that matters is the cc volume of the implant.  My goal is to produce a breast that looks good both in clothing and naked.  I do not concern myself with the final cup size goal of the patient, as much as I do with making the breast attractive.  Although generally the final cup size is within the ballpark of the patient's desire, patients are much more likely to be unhappy with a breast that is too large, rather than one that is slightly smaller than what they may have envisioned.  Also, bra cup sizes are variable between different manufacturers, but everyone will recognize a good-looking breast when they see it.

There are many advantages to placing implants behind the pectoral muscle, but one consequence is that the breast may appear slightly smaller.  Still, it is more important to analyze the dimensions of the breast and to choose an implant profile and volume that appropriately matches and supplements the natural breast in order to produce a larger breast while maintaining a natural appearance.

So, when it comes to making the breasts larger and more attractive, size isn't the only thing that matters.

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Allow your plastic surgeon choose the exact size implant that is most appropriate to give you the desired look you hope to achieve. I prefer to have my patients give me an idea of what size they hope to achieve and then based on this factor, plus their current breast volume, their body and breast dimensions and tissue/skin characteristics will determine which implant size will be best for them. I also prefer to bring several sizes of implants to surgery and use temporary sizers to determine which implants will give my patients the best results that I can achieve.

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